Family Night!!

My son E. is a real family man, the original Mr. Family Values. Whenever I don't have to work on the weekend he plans out our entire itinerary for the day from breakfast to bedtime. He loves doing things together as a family and it makes me glad to know that these times are so special to him. Luckily, because I'm home with my kids during the week we do lots of activities together, but there is nothing like the times when all six of us are together, like tonight. We are having homemade pizza (made by my resident pizza chef, Mr. Family Values himself), dessert fondue and board games. What's so special about this you ask? Well, it's really all in the details. You can't quite appreciate all the planning that has gone into this evenings festivities. And it's all been planned by E. He began planning it out yesterday and hasn't stopped talking about it since. And I mean this literally. He has left no detail to chance. From how he would decorate the dinning room to which dishes we should use and what games we should play. He planned out the menu. Agonizing over which fruits would go best with the fondue. At one point he suggested that we wear formal attire. I had to put the kibosh on that idea. Bless his little planning heart, he's driven me crazy!!! But, when you think about it, it is kind of sweet. He told me recently that he loves family day (the official name given to the times when all six of us are together), and I have to agree...I love it too.

The Homemade Home Project

That's my name for what I'm about to do. It'll be a process, a project, a way of living from here to eternity...I hope. For the last month I've been using an online program called mvelopes to help me budget. We have a nice income, but I really feel that we spend impulsively and needlessly and need to be more cognizant of our finances. Well, it's a big wake up call. I knew we spent a ton of money eating out. But jeez we spend a ton! So I started thinking about why that is and what kind of life I want for my family. The why happens when there's poor planning, I'm tired, I'm sick or just don't want to cook and because I know that we have the money and I can just "pick up something". But that money could be going to savings or a fun trip...anything else. Our chest freezer is jammed full of food, yet this week we ate takeout 3 times for dinner and once for lunch and that's not including the fact that A. eats out for lunch every day at work. So, I tweaked my housework schedule to include not only meal planning (that was already on there), but preparing 2-3 freezer meals/week. That way I'll have a store and when I don't feel like cooking or have a busy day I can pop something out of the freezer and into the oven. Today I made 3 meals. One for tonights dinner and 2 to freeze. I'm also going to use my crockpot more. I use it a few times/month now, but I want to use it a few times a week.
Now, why homemade home project you ask...it's because I want to get back to basics. I want to nurture my family with less processed, commercialized, prepackaged crap. I want them to know that I take pride in the food and things I make for them. I want them to know that every time I take my hands to prepare something for them that It's like a hug and a kiss. I'm not just talking about cooking either. I'm pledging to make our home a place that nutures them at all times, that is gentle and welcoming...where their creativity and happiness dwell. I want our homemade home to be the place that is always dear in their hearts and stays with them as they are out in the world now and forever. That's my project, that's my pledge. To use my love, skills and care to continue to create the kind of home I want for my family.

Housewife or Martyr?

Like many women I stay home with my kids...except I also work outside of the home on the weekend. Because I'm home during the week a large majority of the housework falls to me, I think that's fair in the sense I'm there and all...but I also do 90% of the grocery shopping, clothes shopping, kids appts, carpooling...you get my point. Our house is smallish (1700sf) and we are lovers of stuff. It's a challenge to keep it organized and tidy. I hate to admit it, but I'm losing the battle. It's a struggle every day. It makes me so sad. I'm not used to living in such chaos. It doesn't seem to bother anyone else but me. When I moan to dh about it he says that I might just need to accept that we have 4 kids, and the stuff that 4 kids come with. When I complain that I do everything he says I'm being a matryr. I don't believe that. My house was tidy growing up and there were 7 of us. When I think about it though we were all gone during the day. I'm home...with the kids...every single day. We actually LIVE in the space. We live hard in the space. Is it too much to ask that we live hard in a clean and tidy place?
So...I guess I will martyr myself on the pillar of the pursuit of the elusive clean yet lived in home. I will conquer this. I will fight on! And when you think of me...think of me with a broom in one hand and a dust rag in the other!

It was a good day

Today was family day. We went bowling and to the Borders...oh and tried to go looking for a MP3 player for A. It was fun. It's too bad you have to bowl 10 frames, we sort of lose M and O. about halfway through.
But, best of all...I finally got a FW 221. It's so exciting. I've wanted one for ages. I'd take a picture, but my battery on my camera(well, the charger) is kaput. Anyways...as soon as I can, I'm going to take one to share. It was a good day!